AN- I dedicate this chapter to Eeeep for giving me an awesome idea in the review which made me change my original idea for this chapter. You'll figure it by the end of the chapter. This hasn't been beta read and may contain a lot of mistakes.
To say that he isn't even slightly nervous the moment he enters the classroom is asking a bit too much even out of Dan Humphrey; The curious, sometimes amused, often skeptic glances doing very little to push some confidence back into his stride, "Here, here," someone cat calls from the back, "the prodigal son returns."
His feet faltering a bit, Dan realises that perhaps choosing Rick Clampton's English class as his foray back into NYU campus post suspension was perhaps not the wisest decision to take. But take the past couple of things he has done in the past weeks and you would know that taking wise decisions wasn't his thing to begin with.
But he has already spotted the bent dark head and for the time being Dan Humphrey forgets to pay attention to anything else. Quietly, he takes his place two rows behind Blair Waldorf. As long as she didn't make it publicly known that the last they had seen of each other was when she had thrown him out of her house, he could deal with it.
The rest of the class passes much in routine except for the occasional whispered nudge about whether the fairly large bruise on Professor Clampton's face was really made by him and Dan just smiles enigmatically at all of them, it isn't his story to tell anyway.
What irks him though is not the curiosity or the steely glance the Professor does not even pretend to hide or the fact that he had till now completely overlooked the fact that a D in his English would totally bump his CGPA.
No, for once it doesn't bother Dan that his dream of finishing as valedictorian may be in total jeopardy, it is instead the fact that Blair has not even once thrown a glance at him.
He is hurt, confused and just plain feeling stupid and he curses himself for sleeping through the lecture on 'a guide to survive falling for Blair Waldorf.', which he is sure must have made the rounds through the hallways at St. Jude's.
Sighing, he turns his attention from Blair's head to what the teacher in front is talking about and almost instantly his eyes fall on what he recognises a very very familiar scene. A girl, Amanda, he thinks, is sitting right where he had frequently last seen Blair all but a week flips her hair to one side in small intervals and giggles in the most obvious of ways at the professor, who grins stupidly back at her (Dan takes great pleasure in the apparent gap in his teeth) obviously revelling in the flirting and the attention.
Unable to stop himself, he steels a quick glance in Blair's direction and from the way she jerks around to look at him he knows that she has noticed it too.
Their eyes meet...And hold. She smiles a little and just like that he blinks in surprise and she has turned her face away.
And Dan simply feels like his world just shifted back into its axis a little.
"I have been thinking," he says, doing his usual sliding in into her way as she comes out from the room where he had caught her quietly speaking with Amanda at the end of the class.
"I'll make sure to alert the press," she replies flatly, stepping around him to continue on her way.
"Was that you giving a little warning speech to Amanda in there?"
She turns around slowly, her features guarded and he hates, truly hates it. They had come such a long way since their high school days. They were friends, actual friends and he can hardly take the sudden hostility she is giving him, "No Humphrey, we were just exchanging jam recipes."
"Blair?" he calls out, a little desperate because if that was the opening sentence at apology he had been looking for all day then it had pretty much back fired.
"Yes." Blair finally replies after a thoughtfull pause, "yes, I was warning her about Rick."
"Really?"
Her eyes seethe with anger, "Of course you sound surprised that I can think about someone else other than myself, Humphrey."
He truly did suck at apologising, didn't he?
She squares her shoulder and turns around to walk away from him but he isn't ready enough to let her go, "Blair, I'm sorry," even he is surprised by the sincerity in his voice.
But it must have worked because she stops once again even though she doesn't turn around and he takes the opportunity to barge right into a rambling speech, "I may have overstepped some line the other day, "
He can't see her face but there is a certain shift in her posture and he rephrases his sentence immediately."I mean I know that I did overstep some line the other day," had he not known better Dan would have labelled himself as being a bit afraid of Blair Waldorf.
Oh! what the hell, she could scare the living daylights out of him and he knew it. Nothing, nothing was scarier then an angry Blair. The girl gave the whole scorned women idea a whole new meaning, "I don't think its conceited if you think Nate is in love with you. And it doesn't make you a bad person if you want to find the perfect guy for Charlotte, " he takes a breath before continuing honestly, "I may not approve Blair but it isn't my place to judge either."
He'll also like to ask her about that night in Brooklyn, ask her how it was that she didn't even as much as mention it while it was all he could think about, but he stops himself there and patiently waits for her reply.
It comes. "You still don't think Nate could be in love with me," she says turning around to face him and he can't beleive that this is all she has caught out of his heart felt apology, "why?" she asks, "he was in love with me once. Why not now?"
Dan passes a frustrated hand through his hair but swallowing all the wounded pride, he takes two steps closer to her, "Any man would be a fool not to be in love with you Blair."
She smiles at that, "Right answer, Cabbage Patch." And Dan makes a mental note to go drown himself in the most expensive liquor in New York and bill it to Waldorf .
Or he could just deport himself to the North Pole.
Whichever made him feel lesser like a tragedy hero.
The news that Nate Archibald has unexpectedly left town makes the news at Gossip Girl within hours and Blair is left confused as to why he hadn't come to profousely confess his love to her before leaving for anywhere.
"Perhaps he's gone to pick up flowers from Holland." Dan offers in mock sympathy.
"I hate tulips Humphrey."
"I know," he says, "but this is Nate."
"Not helping Cabbage Patch, but I'll have you know that Nate is a very romantic person and for all you know he could be in Belgium right now just to pick up my faviourite brand of chocolate."
"Fancy." Dan mutters darkly and she chooses to ignore the underlining of anything else in his tone, "you're a very lucky girl."
Her smile fades a little as she notices that even though they have patched up, Dan is being a little distant.
And she knows, God she knows that he wants to talk about their Brooklyn night but then he hasn't truly understood her if he thinks she ever will.
No, it wasn't a mistake. Not when it had felt so right. But this was Dan Humphrey, Serena's Dan...
More importantly he had given her what very few people ever had; Companionship. She may not agree, but NYU would have killed her if it hadn't been for Dan's support. She owes him that. She owes him so much more for their friendship and she is not ready to ruin it all over a drunken night and feelings which are best left unexplored.
"Waldorf? " Dan suddenly asks and she is startled out of her very important article on the lack of funds at the London Fashion Week, "why are you so eager to have Nate in love with you?"
She sighs as he continues, "I mean one moment you think he is Mr. Perfect for Charlotte Wilkins and the next moment you want him for yourself. Forgive me if I'm unable to get hang of all that is vogue in the UES."
"C'mon Humphrey didn't you just tell me that it wasn't your place to judge."
"It isn't," he agrees, "but I'll like to know why the sudden change of heart. Last I checked you had no feelings for him since you two were all but betrothed to each other."
Blair shuts her magazine as she turns to face him properly, "Dan,"she begins patiently and she knows that he has registered the use of his first name, "First of all I'm not eager for anything. The man is in love with me, you heard him yourself. Secondly, who doesn't like a guy swooning over her. And Nate Archibald is just the guy one needs to get back to the position I lost the moment I got myself admitted to NYU. "
He shrugs and she is unable to read the expression in his eyes, "Would he get into a bar fight with someone for you?"
She smiles self consciously, "Probably not."
And Dan laughs because it really was a dumb, not to mention a desperate, question to ask, "You're right. He would be too scared to get his hair spoiled."
He finds her early morning when he stops on his way to pick up coffee for Blair, "Charlotte? It's been some time. How have you been doing?"
"I have been better," she says and he immediately feels guilty, "I'm sorry. I heard about the break up," he offers.
Charlotte shrugs nonchalantly but he can see that she is upset and for one moment he actually likes her, "Listen Dan, I know I shouldn't ask but Blair refuses to tell me why Nate broke up with me. Will you please tell me who is it that he dumped me for?"
Now, it is just plain awkward. He understands why Blair wouldn't tell her anything because she is obviously uncomfortable considering she thinks the mystery woman is her but how is he to tell her that the actual reason is that Nate has finally decided to pursue Serena while she plays her usual hide and seek.
"I don't know Charlotte," he lies, "but I'm sure that Nate would have a perfectly reasonable excuse when he returns."
"Yeah." she say sadly, "Where is he anyway?"
Somewhere where Serena is. He thinks but effectively refrains from answering her question as he turns the attention to her art classes instead.
Nate Archibald you better get back to New York City soon.
She gets a message while in the middle of her Fashion Marketing class and she frowns at it for sometime, unable to decide if she is happy or not.
It's been months since she has last seen her best friend and it was true that she had desperately missed her when she had first joined NYU, so much that she had had to look for her replacement in some one like Charlotte Wilkins. However minions, proteges or even match making experiments could not be labeled as best friends.
She had wanted Serena there when she had felt out of place midst students who couldn't care less that she was THE Blair Waldorf, she had wanted Serena there when she had found out the Rick was a two timing bastard. She had wanted Serena by her side so many times.
But right now, she was comfortable just as she was. She wouldn't go as far as to call them friends either but there were people who recognized her at NYU, sometimes because of the Shakespeare play she had done with Dan and sometimes because they had heard rumors about her and a certain English Professor. It was also just a matter of time till Nate returned from wherever he had disappeared to and someone clicked them together and she would be back on Gossip Girl's radar too. It was surprising but she actually missed the lack of attention the mystery blogger had thrown at her.
And most importantly of all, she had found Serena in Dan.
Sighing, she text a message to Humphrey.
Serena is back in New York. Wants to meet us at her place in an hour.
He receives the message while in the Spanish class he had signed up for extra credit and he probabaly frowns at it longer than Blair had.
This, he has been fearing for sometime now.
They both yell at the same time, "No!"
"Serena, how could you?" Blair is the first one to regain composure, "you're engaged?"
"Yup!" the glowing blonde replies happily, "aren't you guys happy?"
Dan takes a little more time to come to terms with it; He had not expected Nate to propose, "Where is Nate?"
"Nate? Why would I know where Nate is. I just came back from California."
"Exactly, Humphrey," Blair turns to look at him, "Why would she know where Nate is?"
More confused than he has ever been with anything to do with these two girls, which really is saying something considering he has been around them and what they like to call as 'light entertainment' for four years now. He turns from one face to another, "Blair, hold on a second. Serena, what do you mean you don't know where Nate is?"
"That I don't know where Nate is. I haven't seen him since I left New York."
"What? Who are you engaged to then?"
"Carter Baizen" Blair says, "Ben Donavan"Serena replies.
"Wh...What?" Dan and Blair both stare at her, "who is Ben?" Blair finally asks.
Serena laughs at their expressions, "First of all why would I be engaged to Carter and Ben was my teacher back at Connecticut and I'll explain everything once you two give me a chance to speak."
Dan protests, he is still trying to come to terms with what Serena is saying, "You're really engaged?"
Serena's smile falters a bit and she lowers her eyes, "Dan...I, I should probably have told you sooner about this, but it happened so quickly and really you two are the first people I'm telling this to. I'm sorry Dan"
Dan doesn't answer, lines etching his forehead and it is the feeling of Blair shifting a little closer to his side, as if moving in to show her support without making it too apparent that tells him that they have it all wrong, "Serena you have nothing to apologise for. If you're happy then so am I and I can't wait to meet this guy but right now I just want to know where Nate is."
"Again Humphrey, why would she know where Nate is."
"Blair," he turns his attention to the brunette, "I'm sorry but you have to know this, Nate is in love with Serena."
"What?" Serena gasps.
"What?" Blair almost yells.
"What?" comes a voice from the doorway.
They turn around to find a very confused looking Nate Archibald standing at the doorway, "Dan what are you talking about?" He asks.
"Nate? Dude, where have you been?"
Nate steps in and they can hear footsteps behind him, "I was in Hudson."
"Hudson?" It's Blair's turn to ask him a question, "what were you doing in Hudson?"
"He was there, "Jenny Humphrey enters and stands besides him and as the three pairs of eyes look in shock, she entwines her fingers with Nate's, "to find me."
AN-Surprised? I was going to make it Serena instead of Jenny till I remembered what fun Jenny could be. Thank you Eeeep.
Also I realise that considering this is set in Season 3, Jenny should still be in NY but lets just assume for the sake of my inability to think outside the box that she is in Hudson already. However, let's keep in mind that considering that this AU season 3 and Chuck and Blair issues have not happened, Blair may not like Jenny but she doesn't hate her as much as she does at the show.
I hope you enjoyed it, Please review. More on Charlotte and back in loop with Austen in the next chapter.